English – ページ 57 – 日本200名城バイリンガル (Japan's top 200 castles and ruins)

152.Tsu Castle Part1

The final home base of Takatora Todo

Location and History

Field of Anotsu Castle Battle

Tsu Castle is located in what is now Tsu City, the capital of Mie Prefecture which was called Ise Province in the past. Tsu City calls itself the city with the shortest name in the world. Tsu just means port. Originally, the area was called Anotsu, which means the port of Ano. Anotsu was one of the three greatest ports in Japan in the Middle Ages. However, the port declined due to the Meio earthquake followed by a great tsunami in 1498.

The range of Ise Province and the location of the castle

There was also been Anotsu Castle in the plains land around the area, which was the former Tsu Castle. In 1600 before the famous Battle of Sekigahara, a preliminary skirmish happened at the castle, called the Battle of Anotsu Castle. Large troops from the West Squad attacked the castle with few defenders of Nobutaka Tomita belonging to the East Squad. The defenders had to surrender, as a result, the castle went to ruin. The Tokugawa Shogunate, which led the East Squad finally won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, thought they need a stronger lord and castle around the area. This was because they were still against the Toyotomi Clan which lived in Osaka Castle, not so far from Ise Province in the west.

the Ukiyo-e painting of Nobutaka Tomita rescued by his wife, from an episode in the Battle of Anotsu Castle, attributed to Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, published in 1885 *(licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)*

Takatora Todo improves Castle as his home base during peacetime

In 1608, the shogunate replaced Nobutaka Tomita with Takatora Todo as the lord of Anotsu Castle. Takatora was not a hereditary feudal lord, which meant he didn’t work under Ieyasu Tokugawa for a long time, who was the founder of the shogunate. He was a well-known master of castle construction through building Uwajima, Ozu and Imabari Castles. He also helped the shogunate build famous castles such as Edo, Nagoya, and Nijo in Kyoto. That’s why he was trusted by the shogunate. They expected Takatora to build a strong castle to stand against the Toyotomi Clan in Osaka Castle in the west. Takatora accomplished this by renovating Anotsu Castle, which was renamed Tsu Castle sometime around the period.

The portrait of Takatora Todo, private owned (licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)

He also owned Iga-Ueno Castle in Iga Province, which was west of Ise Province and closer to Osaka. He said that Tsu Castle would be his home base during peacetime while Iga-Ueno Castle would be the other one for wartime. However, Tsu Castle was adequately defensive even if it was his peacetime home base in the plains. The castle also reflected Takatora’s concepts of building castles.

Takatora’s concepts of building castles

The Main Enclosure was simply square shaped, which was easy to construct and accommodate large troops. While it may be weak for defense, the enclosure was surrounded by the wide Inner Moat, high stone walls, and many turrets on the walls. The gates of the enclosure were strongly guarded with a square defensive space called Masugata. Moreover, to enter the gates, visitors had to pass other small enclosures called Demaru or the Barbicans in the Inner Moat. The Second Enclosure and the Outer Moat were also built concentrically. Such structures can be seen in other castles which Takatora was involved in, such as Imabari, Nagoya, Nijo, and Sasayama.

The stone walls of the Main Enclosure of Tsu Castle

Tsu Castle in the last stage of the Eco Period, from the signboard at the site

The drawing of Nagoya Castle in Owari Province (exhibited by the National Diet Library)

After the shogunate beat the Toyotomi Clan in 1615, Tsu Castle became the home base of the Tsu Domain which the Todo Clan governed, throughout the Edo Period. The castle town of Tsu Castle prospered as well as being on the Ise-Gingu Shrine pilgrimage road.

To be continued in “Tsu Castle Part2”

62.Wakayama Castle Part3

Why did the Main Tower was restored again?

Features

Western and Southern sides of Castle

There are also many other attractions at the western and southern parts of the park. The Sand Enclosure is a large one which was built later than other enclosures, on the natural sand dune at the western side. It has high stone walls which overlook the city roads. The inside of the enclosure was empty from the beginning, maybe because of that, it is now used as a ground and tennis courts.

The map around the castle

The Oimawashi-mon Gate is another remaining building of the castle, which is painted red. The reason for the color is said to be for the amulet against the unlucky southwest direction called Ura-kimon.

The Akazu-no-mon Gate Ruins are another entrance of the park, which is in front of the Southern Enclosure. Its turret stone wall base is the highest one in the castle, which is about 23m high.

Later History

After the Meiji Restoration, Wakayama Castle was abandoned. The main portion of it was owned by the Japanese Army, followed by Wakayama City, and turned into a park. The park had not only the remaining castle properties but also official facilities like a museum, a library, a school, a fire station, and the City Hall. However, the city has recently been developing it as a historical park by removing the facilities. It aims to restore the scenery of the castle at the end of the Edo Period. In addition, the site has been designated as a National Historic Site since 1931.

The restored Main Gate seen from the Second Enclosure

The long, old stone walls surrounding the central hill

My Impression

I didn’t think Wakayama Castle has so many attractions before my visit. I also noticed the importance of the Main Tower as the center point and symbol of the castle. If the tower was not there, such a large castle could be distracting. That could be the reason why people in Wakayama restored the Main Tower.

The Main Tower seen from the Second Enclosure

The Main Tower seen from the Sand Enclosure

The miniature model of the Main Tower, exhibited by Wakayama castle Museum of History

How to get There

If you want to visit the castle by car, it is about 15 minutes away from Wakayama IC on the Hanwa Expressway. There are several parking lots in or around the park.
By public transportation, It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Wakayamashi Station on the Nankai Railway. Or you can take the Wakayama Bus Route 0 or 25 from JR Wakayama Station and get off at the Wakayamajo-mae bus stop to get there.
To get to Wakayama Station from Tokyo: Take the Tokaido Shinkansen super express and transfer to the Kuroshio limited express at Shin-Osaka Station.
Or it may be a good idea to fly to the Kansai Airport and take the JR train to Wakayama Station or the Nankai Railway to Wakayamashi Station.

The parking lot inside the Akazu-no-mon Gate Ruins

Links and References

・Wakayama Castle, Official Website

That’s all. Thank you.
Back to “Wakayama Castle Part1”
Back to “Wakayama Castle Part2”

62.Wakayama Castle Part2

There are so many attractions you should check out in the castle.

Features

From Main Gate to Nakagomon Gate Ruins

Today, Wakayama Castle site has been developed as Wakayama Castle Park by Wakayama City. It still includes the main portion of the original castle. It has five entrances same as the castle had, as the Main, Okaguchi, Oimawashi, former Akazuno, and former Fukiage Gates.

The map around the castle

If you want to see what the castle was like, it may be better to enter the Main Gate at the northeastern part of the park. The gate and the bridge in front it over the Inner Moat were restored in the present time. Once you enter the gate, you will see how large the castle grounds and moats are.

The Drawing of the Main Gate Area from the Illustrated collection of Famous Sites in Kii Province, from the signboard at the site

The Inner Moat at the eastern side of the castle

You will go to the ruins of Nakagomon, the second gateway, which still have alternating stone walls. This is an interesting spot where you can see two types of the gate stone walls using roughly and precisely processed stones. In addition, you can see the old stone walls surrounding the hill using natural greenschists ahead. These walls were built in different periods.

Looking down the alternated part from the top of the stone walls

The walls using granite porphyry stones on the left and the walls using sand stones on the right

The walls using natural Greenschist stones

Second and Western Enclosures

The Second Enclosure is the west of the Main Gate area. It has only a rock garden built in the present time, but it had the luxury Main Hall with turrets beside the Inner Moat. The Large Hall, part of the Main Hall, was moved to Osaka Castle and remained until 1947 when it was burned. Wakayama City is planning to restore the Large Hall at the original position with some turrets and the O-oku residence in a long term. The distant view of the Main Tower may be the best seen from the enclosure.

The map around the Second Enclosure

The ruins of Monomi-Yagura Turret at the Second Enclosure

The Inner Moat at the northern side of the Second Enclosure

The Large Hall which was moved to Osaka Castle, quoted from the website of Wakayama City

A distant view of the Main Tower from the Second Enclosure

In the next Western Enclosure, the water garden, called Momijidani-teien or the Autumn Leave Valley Garden, was restored in the present time and designated as a National Scenic Beauty. the Passage Bridge between the Second and Western Enclosures was also restored in 2006. You can walk into the roofed and slanted bridge which is quite rare.

The Autumn Leave Valley Garden in the Western Enclosure

Remaining Okaguchi Gate

The area around the Okaguchi Gate at the southeastern part of the park is also great to visit. The gate building with the mud wall beside is one of the few remaining buildings of the castle and designated as an Important Cultural Property. It looks like a simple gate with a gabled roof, but it was sandwiched by turrets on both sides.

The map around the Okaguchi Gate

Part of the Drawing of the Okaguchi Gate Area from the Illustrated collection of Famous Sites in Kii Province, from the signboard at the site

Inside the gate, there is the second gateway similar to the Main Gate area. You can see a great and high stone wall base for Matsunomaru Turret on the left. Other stone walls form a square space called Masugata to prevent their enemies from attacking them. No buildings remain on them, however, these newer stone walls are also worth seeing.

The second gateway from the Okaguchi Gate

The stone wall base for Matsunomaru Turret

The square space seen from the top of the base

Going Main Enclosure and Main Tower climbing Slope

There are two routes to the Main Enclosure on the hill as the Front Slope and the Back Slope. The Front Slope is a gentler but longer route. The first part of it is wide and zigzagged, with beautiful paved Greenschist stones.

The map around the Main Enclosure

The last part is long, with old stone walls on the right hill side and several turret stone wall bases on the left valley side. Currently, visitors can enjoy a relaxing walk on that route, but at that time, the enemies would have found the route troubling as they could be counter-attacked.

A turret stone wall base on the valley side

The Back Slope is steeper but shorter. This route is also made and surrounded by old stone walls, but has a different taste with the mossy stones.

The top of the hill has two peaks, one was for another Main Hall, and the other is for the Main Tower. The Main Hall coexisted with that of the Second Enclosure, but it was not often used for its small size and inconvenient location. There is a water station now and it is a good view point of the Main Tower.

Going to the Main Enclosure from the Front Slope

The Main Hall Ruins of the Main Enclosure

Most visitors’ destination is the Main Tower. It is actually a modern building, not original, but was apparently restored in 1958. Its stone wall base is original and thought that it is the oldest among the stone walls in the castle. A building like the Main Tower may have been built on it from the first stage.

The style of the tower is called Renritsu-siki or the Tower Grouping, which refers to the Large and Small Main Towers and turrets being connected by Hall Turrets like a corridor. The interior of the tower is used as a historical museum and the top floor is used as the observation platform.

You can see the style of the Tower Grouping from the top floor

A storage box for tea ceremony utensils, one of the exhibitions in the tower

The top floor of the Large Main Tower as the observation platform

An eastern view including the Main Hall Ruins from the platform

To be continued in “Wakayama Castle Part3”
Back to “Wakayama Castle Part1”